Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com.

There are a few select instances when it's clear that an act absolutely needs to be inducted into Houston's premiere collection of musical talent, the Artist of the Week clan, and this is one of them. MC Router is the city's pioneering Nerdcore rapper. She's sly and video game-y and white. She raps about things like Bill Gates and refers to herself as the "8 Bit Bitch." But peel back whatever layers of irony or schtick you think drive her music, and it turns out that she's actually a strong performer, complete with an admirable flow, solid lyricism and a breadth of esoteric computer/gaming references. Plus, she's mad passionate about what she does, which translates to her shitting all over the femmes that pilfer the nerd gene pool for kicks.

MC Router, "8 Bit Bitch"

So we got with Router to cut it up about what "Nerdcore" actually is, carrying a gun and various offshoots of pornography. Rocks Off: So, "Nerdcore," that's a thing? Tell us a bit about it. It sounds fun, but we're afraid we're unfamiliar with the whole scene.

Rowdy Girl Media

MC Router: Nerdcore hip-hop, or simply Nerdcore, is a subgenre of hip-hop music characterized by themes and subject matter considered to be of general interest to nerds, though it can appeal to others as well. The music can very from artist to artist as there is no particular style, but you will find most Nerdcore music has samples of videogame music and blips and beeps. I am self-claimed "First Lady of Nerdcore" because when I first got into the Nerdcore scene there was only one other female in the genre at that time, but she wasn't really doing shows, wasn't established, and only had one song while I, on the other hand, was doing shows every weekend and getting mad hits on my MySpace where I had uploaded three of the songs that were my most popular at that time. No one has really argued my title - no one important anyway - so it's always been attached to me and my music. I stopped doing Nerdcore for about a year, because I was tired of all the bandwagon-jumpers when it started getting really "cool" to be a nerd. I also got a job as an Associate Producer for a video-game company right here in Houston. My name is in the credits for games such as all the Rock Band titles after Rock Band 1, including Beatles: Rock Band. You can see the other games we have worked on and our newest titles coming out that I am a part of also.

However, I have been asked to do some really cool shows lately, some of them were favors and some of them are just because I kind of miss doing my Nerdcore performances. There are a lot of rumors flying around of why I quit Nerdcore and the most hillarious one is this Nerdcore group who wrote a diss song about me and then when I took a break from Nerdcore they posted on their website that they were the reason I left the scene [laughs].

MC Router, "Bill Gates Revolution"

Are you fucking kidding me? We will see if I return to doing them on a regular basis. It's kind of dependent on Houston and if I can get any sort of fanbase. I have played with big names like MC Chris, Frontalot, YTCracker, MC Lars and others at packed-out shows with a thousand and more people and I can tell you I won't play for an empty club in Houston. That is for sure, but there it is, a little brief summary of Nerdcore and my history in it. RO: The "8 Bit Bitch" nickname is great. That's not a question. We just wanted to point that out.

MCR: Stop flirting with me. RO: Ooh, we heard you travel around with a gun. Why's that? Is the Nerdcore game terribly violent? Or is your gun like the one you used to use when you played Duck Hunt? Or, better than that, does it look like the gun that you used to use for Duck Hunt but shoots real bullets? Oh my God, that would be nutsos.

MC Router, "Control Panel"

MC R: I am ex-military. I was in the Army once upon a time, and ever since then I have just become a huge fan of guns and shooting them. I do own a gun and I go to the shooting range every Sunday here in Houston. I have my CHL (Concealed Handun License) so yes, I take it everywhere I go. While my gun doesn't look like or have anything to do with a Duck Hunt gun, I can promise you that I can work your - oops, my pistol - just as well as the Duck Hunt gun [laughs]. RO: Is there a porn offshoot of Nerdcore? We're not sure what that would entail - it'd probably be just like normal porn, except the girls would be wearing Contra T-shirts or something - but it sounds like it's something that exists. Or maybe that's just because it has "-core" on the end. If you stick "-core" on the end of any word it automatically sounds like it has something to do with porn. Like, "Baby" is just a cute word in general. But "Babycore," that sounds like something really gross.

MC Router, "Emulation Station"

MCR: Jesus Christ of Nerdcore Saints, why does this always get asked to me? FML. So there is indeed a little, small scene called Nerdcore that doesn't have anything whatsoever to do with music and I will tell you what it is. So all these fucking girls take pictures of themselves wearing nothing at all except a NES controller covering up their crotch, a Duck Hunt gun up their vag, a 360 controller or 2 covering up their naughty bits or a NES cartridge up their ass - okay, I made that one up, but I wouldn't be surprised. It really angers me to no end at how pathetic these girls are trying so hard to be nerdy and sexy. I mean, shit, son, I know nerdy girls are hot to some guys, but the original idea of a nerd girl is nothing like the girls that are trying to be these sexy, "nerdy" symbols of geekdom. They probably haven't even played any of the games that they have covering up their hoo-hah's or probably don't even know the gaming console that they are holding in a nude pic. I mean really? They probably had to borrow it from their little brothers. "Hey Timmy! I need to borrow your... what's it called... your, uh... Xbox? I need to take some nude pics with it so guys can think I am a nerd when really I am just a stupid fucking tart who needs attention from men to survive." Oh and do not get me started on the girls who go to conventions and shit. Oh, those are the fucking worst. They walk around in bikinis and hold Xbox controllers and I am just like, "STOP SMOKING CRACK YOU FUCKTART!" Like, get real. I mean, I am a real nerdgirl because I care more about videogames and leveling up and refining my skills and unlocking new achievements then dressing up like a hooker and pretending to be a nerd. Do they think it actually makes them a nerd if they just hold the controller? Get the fuck outta here.

Oh and the girl gaming teams that go to those cons, okay some of them are legit, but the teams with the girls dressing like hookers, they only know one map on one console for one game. And they just do that over and over and over. And if anyone does something enough times they will eventually be good at it, and thats what they do, so when people walk by their booth or table, they are like "WOW! LOOK AT THOSE HOT NERDS IN BIKINIS PWNING N00BS!" Nerd guys are suckers for hot chicks; all guys are. But alas, all I have are my awesome mike skills and a beer belly. No one seems to like those attributes. RO: Anything else you want to mention? Now's the time to do it. MC R: So soon all my songs are going to be completely in Dutch - yes, I am serious. So please enjoy my shows while you can. I already wrote my first song that is half in Dutch, half in English. That is all. Oh, and buy me a Pabst. See more of MC Router on her MySpace. She also asked us to publish the following message: "tell Houston to COME GET A PIECE OF THIS NERDCAKE NAMED ROUTER!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" Frankly, we were too scared not to.